The Morning After

My brother’s girlfriend had this party and well, drinking was involved. I like drinking and drinking used to like me.

Back in the day when drinking happened much more frequently for me, we had a good relationship drinking and I did. I had a fantastic, well-earned level of tolerance for alcohol. In fact, many, many brain cells were lost between 18-23.

After 23, it started to slow.

After 25, it was a shell of it’s former self. My tolerance that is.

Now, at 28, waking up the morning after a good night of drinking with a throbbing headache, stomach that is turning, and just an overall feeling of blahness, I’ve had an epiphany.

On the way home from Castleton (where the party was) back to Schenectady I had this thought and told my wife, “You know…I’d much rather of traded in that night of getting drunk for being able to wake up this early, feel great, and be able to go for a nice walk with the kid.” The kid being my son, we like to be informal in our family.

It hit me, just like that.

It’s not like I am going to never drink again, because, well that would just be a baldfaced lie!, but alcohol has been downgraded in my life. How I felt yesterday morning was evidence of that.

We had a good run, alcohol and I, but it’s time to just be “acquaintance’s” instead of friends who talk regularly.

(Note: my liver weighed in quite heavily on this decision, he had a voice that just rose above the rest. I’ll give him credit, he has heart!)